Fish suitable for hardwater ph

Question
Hi Richard,
I chose you to answer my question because you mentioned African Cichlids.
I already knew that the private water supply to my home was VERY hard (from witnessing the lime scale it so quickly deposits) so when my husband recently bought me a tropical freshwater tank for my birthday we asked the supplier about this. Then, later, when the tank had been set up for 3 days, we also asked the pet shop owner about this when we purchased the fish.
Unfortunately, however, the fish ( 2 Rummy Noses & 2 red cs) died overnight so the supplier tested our water & discovered that the ph balance is between 8.5 & 9!
He recommends that, rather than bringing in water from an outside source (which I don't really consider a problem as we have access to free-running spring water locally; obviously we would have to have this ph tested first too, as I already know it is high in iron & calcium), we buy fish which tolerate/prefer a high ph balance such as ours.
I have already learnt that such a breed is the African Cichlids. Do you know of any others? I'd also be grateful for any access to links for photo's of & care-of tips for these breeds.
Our tank measures 60x30x30cm-ish, the temperature is around 26 degrees & we have 10 plants. I'd also be interested in finding out how many of each breed would be happy living in there.
I really appreciate you freely offering your time & expertise in this matter.
Many thanks, Tina.

Answer
Hi Tina

I don't know what a red cs is, but a high pH would not have killed your Rummynose overnight. They most likely died of new tank syndrome. In other words, adding too many fish to a small tank that was not cycled. Your tank needs to cycle before you can add all of the fish to it. And even then, you wont be able to keep but 3-5 small fish in it.

Your tank is really too small for African Cichlids. However, there are many other tropical fish that will tolerate a high pH. In fact there are several fish who prefer hard water. Most livebearer fish, such as Mollies, Guppies, Platys and Swordtails, love hard water and prefer it. Some Guppies do tend to be a little fragile. Other fish like Zebra Danios and most Barbs and Tetras are hardy enough to adapt to your high pH. Actually, unless the fish specifically requires soft water, most any fish will adapt to hard water. While a high pH is not desirable for a common tropical fish tank, it's really not that big of a deal. pH is really most important when breeding specific fish, at least in my experience anyway. Do NOT use any pH treatments as they are temporary and commonly don't work. Your local fish store should be able to help you choose hardy fish, and tell them about your high pH. However, don't let them talk you into buying a water softener. Just ask them what fish in their store will work.

Hope this helps, good luck!

Richard